ᐅ Renovation of an Older Building: Experiences with Floor Plan Layout
Created on: 27 Oct 2024 21:30
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Bikerin91
Hello from the north,
we are now the proud owners of a house built in 1959 with a living area of about 100 sqm (1,076 sq ft). The house has been in the family and holds a lot of sentimental value to me. Therefore, I would prefer not to demolish and rebuild but to modernize it. The house was originally designed by an architect.
So far, a structural engineer and an energy consultant have visited. The structural engineer was called because I would like to remove the wall on the ground floor (number 3 on the floor plan is the kitchen) to create a large open-plan kitchen and living area. However, it is currently load-bearing, and significant costs are expected because the steel beam would also require supports on both sides. Additionally, 50 cm (20 inches) on each side of the walls cannot be demolished. The energy consultant will send me the renovation roadmap in the coming days. At the moment, there is an oil heating system (23 years old, made by Viessmann). I would like to switch directly to a heat pump and photovoltaic system. On the first floor, room 9 no longer exists because the wall was removed, but we would likely put a wall back there.
Neither of us has extensive knowledge, but I learn quickly and with interest. This post is meant as a form of support since we are unsure how best to divide the spaces.
Another point: On the first floor, each room has knee walls (dormers), which I would like to remove as they take up a considerable amount of space. These are also marked on the floor plan. The house is partially basemented. The basement area starts at number 5, covering half of the living room toward the garden. There is no basement under the kitchen.
What do you think? How would you arrange the rooms? I was considering creating a large open-plan kitchen at number 5 left and then planning a utility room in the current kitchen area. For the future, two children's rooms should be planned, although one room is enough for now since life often has other plans 🙂. I’m also not very happy with the hallway and entrance area yet, but after many hours on YouTube, at exhibitions, etc., we’re a bit stuck.
I look forward to your ideas and discussion.
Best regards,
Anni
we are now the proud owners of a house built in 1959 with a living area of about 100 sqm (1,076 sq ft). The house has been in the family and holds a lot of sentimental value to me. Therefore, I would prefer not to demolish and rebuild but to modernize it. The house was originally designed by an architect.
So far, a structural engineer and an energy consultant have visited. The structural engineer was called because I would like to remove the wall on the ground floor (number 3 on the floor plan is the kitchen) to create a large open-plan kitchen and living area. However, it is currently load-bearing, and significant costs are expected because the steel beam would also require supports on both sides. Additionally, 50 cm (20 inches) on each side of the walls cannot be demolished. The energy consultant will send me the renovation roadmap in the coming days. At the moment, there is an oil heating system (23 years old, made by Viessmann). I would like to switch directly to a heat pump and photovoltaic system. On the first floor, room 9 no longer exists because the wall was removed, but we would likely put a wall back there.
Neither of us has extensive knowledge, but I learn quickly and with interest. This post is meant as a form of support since we are unsure how best to divide the spaces.
Another point: On the first floor, each room has knee walls (dormers), which I would like to remove as they take up a considerable amount of space. These are also marked on the floor plan. The house is partially basemented. The basement area starts at number 5, covering half of the living room toward the garden. There is no basement under the kitchen.
What do you think? How would you arrange the rooms? I was considering creating a large open-plan kitchen at number 5 left and then planning a utility room in the current kitchen area. For the future, two children's rooms should be planned, although one room is enough for now since life often has other plans 🙂. I’m also not very happy with the hallway and entrance area yet, but after many hours on YouTube, at exhibitions, etc., we’re a bit stuck.
I look forward to your ideas and discussion.
Best regards,
Anni
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Bikerin9131 Oct 2024 18:32hanghaus2023 schrieb:
I would just create an opening in the wall. Then install a countertop about 1.2 m (4 feet) long. In the kitchen, add wall cabinets.
In the attic, I think part of the knee wall can be removed in some areas. Not all walls are load-bearing. The roof has already been insulated.That sounds interesting too. What exactly have you marked at the downstairs guest bathroom?With your proposal, would I still need to install a steel beam in the kitchen? Sorry, this whole topic is really new to me.
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hanghaus202331 Oct 2024 21:19Shower, toilet, sink.
You always need some kind of beam support. However, the opening should be kept as small as possible. The structural engineer will advise you on this.
In my opinion, the structural engineer is right. The wall not only provides bracing. The load-bearing direction is calculated over the 2 m (6.5 ft) width, and there is also a point load from the roof. The ceiling is not particularly thick in that area either, measuring only 14 cm (5.5 inches).
You always need some kind of beam support. However, the opening should be kept as small as possible. The structural engineer will advise you on this.
In my opinion, the structural engineer is right. The wall not only provides bracing. The load-bearing direction is calculated over the 2 m (6.5 ft) width, and there is also a point load from the roof. The ceiling is not particularly thick in that area either, measuring only 14 cm (5.5 inches).
I can’t read your structural plans. I’m basically a layperson in this area.
However, I know that some roofs are supported by posts. These don’t necessarily have to be placed in the middle or hidden inside walls; they can also carry the rafters at the edges. For your roof, there are posts in the knee wall, which are visible. Are these structurally important? So, I can imagine that you can’t just tear everything down easily.
However, I know that some roofs are supported by posts. These don’t necessarily have to be placed in the middle or hidden inside walls; they can also carry the rafters at the edges. For your roof, there are posts in the knee wall, which are visible. Are these structurally important? So, I can imagine that you can’t just tear everything down easily.
Bikerin91 schrieb:
The photo shown above is of room number 7 and the view goes clockwise. My intention is to remove the wall on the left and also the one next to the window. I already understood that, and I am also oriented below.
Bikerin91 schrieb:
You see two photos of the knee wall adjacent to room number 7, and I would like to remove these two walls to gain more living space. These knee walls exist in every room upstairs. My idea is to be able to install more windows to make the space brighter. However, I am not really able to assign the pictures in the eaves areas to the drawing.
ypg schrieb:
Your roof has posts in the knee wall, which can be seen. Are these structurally relevant? Therefore, I imagine you cannot simply tear everything down there. That is why I asked for sections, mainly to understand the roof truss structure.
ypg schrieb:
I cannot read your structural plans. The images are also cut off. But it is visible that the ceiling field edges rest on the wall between the kitchen and living room. From my point of view, their load-bearing function was not in doubt, and their bracing is not shown in the ceiling plan. By the way, I will continue my response elsewhere.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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Bikerin913 Nov 2024 15:46Hello,
I have now taken some photos of the drawings from the building file. One photo also shows the cross-section.
In addition, the photos of the crawl space are assigned to room number 7 upstairs. This room is located directly within the blue-shaded area. To what extent are there still missing details here?
I will definitely not remove the wooden beams, as confirmed by the structural engineer. The issue concerns solely the wall in between, or rather all the walls on the first floor that were added there to create a knee wall.
I have now taken some photos of the drawings from the building file. One photo also shows the cross-section.
In addition, the photos of the crawl space are assigned to room number 7 upstairs. This room is located directly within the blue-shaded area. To what extent are there still missing details here?
I will definitely not remove the wooden beams, as confirmed by the structural engineer. The issue concerns solely the wall in between, or rather all the walls on the first floor that were added there to create a knee wall.
Bikerin91 schrieb:
I have now photographed some drawings from the construction file. One photo also shows the cross-section.
In addition, the photos of the knee wall can be assigned to room number 7 upstairs. This is located directly in the blue shaded area. What information is still missing here? Yes, since it is a hipped roof, it would be helpful to have the other cross-section as well (preferably "over there" in 140393).
Bikerin91 schrieb:
I will definitely not remove the wooden beams; the structural engineer has confirmed that to me. It is solely about the wall between them or rather all the walls on the first floor that were installed there to add a knee wall. That sounds reasonable and also looks charming. With the second cross-section, we can say more about it.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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